GeForce GTX 970 in a Mac Pro 4.1

[empezar]

Hello!

I just purchased a GeForce GTX 1060 and to my disappointment it could not be used in my Mac Pro. So I went ahead and put my GeForce GTX 970 from my PC in my Mac Pro, and could not get it to work... in WINDOWS(!). It does work in OS X, however, but only at 3440x1440@30, which is a bit annoying. Could it be that I used HDMI?

Since I primarily work in Windows on my Mac Pro at the moment, I'm wondering if you guys know why the card would work in OS X but not in Windows? I cannot install the Windows drivers without the card inside the computer, so there's quite a catch 22 going on here.

 

[ActionableMango]

It's not really a catch-22. The card should work in Windows with the Microsoft basic/generic display adapter driver which is how you see things while you download the mfr's latest driver.

That's how it would work for a fresh install of Windows, anyway. If this is for an existing install, I can only theorize that the prior card's existing drivers are interfering somehow and need to be uninstalled before you put the 970 in.

 

[empezar]

Could the problem be that I'm using a 6-to-8-pin adapter to power the 6+8 pin slots?

 

[h9826790]

the 970 is not that power demanding, should not be a problem, unless the 8pin adaptor is a fake adaptor (only 6pin has wires, the remaining 2 pins has nothing inside).

 

[ActionableMango]

Windows: Can you install the Nvidia drivers with the old card installed? Then they will be there for when you install the 970. What is your old card by the way.

OSX: HDMI 1.2 cannot do 1440P@60Hz. You need to use DisplayPort or dual-link DVI. You could use HDMI, but only if everything in the chain (card, cable, and monitor) are HDMI 1.3 or newer. And since you're not getting 60Hz, I'm guessing something in the chain is HDMI 1.2 or older.

 

[Nunyabinez]

I agree with Actionable, I have a 970 in my 5,1 and it works just fine, so it is likely a driver issue.

I hate that you can't get anything higher than 1080p at 60Hz in MacOs with HDHI. It is not a limitation of the card, because in windows I can run the 970 at 4K 60Hz.

If you can put a working Nvidia card in the machine and install the geforce experience app, you should be able to put the 970 in and do an update if needed.